Gustave Courbet

About the Artist

Gustave Courbet was a French Realist painter active from 1819 to 1877. Rejecting traditional artistic conventions, he had a major influence on the art world through his direct depiction of reality. Courbet's work rendered everyday subjects such as peasants and laborers at large scale, challenging the painting standards of his time. Through works carrying social messages, he emphasized the artist's independence, going on to influence movements such as Impressionism. Courbet was implicated in the Paris Commune and imprisoned, later living in exile in Switzerland, where he died.